Random Thoughts Thread

[TSTR]

How do you use "payola" in a phrase? Are you ON the payola? Is something LIKE a payola, THE payola or A payola? :/

One participates in payola; something is like payola.

[Ack]

Hell, we had to ban StarCraft from the club because the people who came in solely to play it began stealing things.

Wait what?

There was a small group of guys who started showing up to play Starcraft in our club. After a few weeks, we began to notice that whenever this particular group of 4-5 guys showed up, stuff would start to disappear: computer cables, markers for the blackboard, other small stuff that was laying around the lab. It only happened after that group was present, but we weren't sure which of them might be the culprit, so the club leadership decided to remove Starcraft from the computers to get them to leave.

It worked, they stopped coming after the first few weeks of complaining about us removing the only game they were coming for, and stuff stopped vanishing. As a general rule, we never reinstalled Starcraft in the years I was with the club, and a year or two after that, Starcraft 2 was released.

[ZeroAX]

How do you use "payola" in a phrase? Are you ON the payola? Is something LIKE a payola, THE payola or A payola? :/

Foreign people trying to use "slang" is almost as bad as when parents do it.

There was a small group of guys who started showing up to play Starcraft in our club. After a few weeks, we began to notice that whenever this particular group of 4-5 guys showed up, stuff would start to disappear: computer cables, markers for the blackboard, other small stuff that was laying around the lab. It only happened after that group was present, but we weren't sure which of them might be the culprit, so the club leadership decided to remove Starcraft from the computers to get them to leave.

And here I was thinking they stole something of value, like a smartphone or a graphics card. Probably someone with cleptomania.

[MrPopo]

The air here in LA is weird. It's not quite humidity, but it doesn't feel like Seattle air.

At least it's only 70ish out.

[Hobie-wan]

The air here in LA is weird. It's not quite humidity, but it doesn't feel like Seattle air.

At least it's only 70ish out.

That would be the smog sir.

[alienjesus]

How do you use "payola" in a phrase? Are you ON the payola? Is something LIKE a payola, THE payola or A payola? :/

I just wouldn't use payola (mostly because I had to look the word up to find out what it even meant).

[Ack]

There was a small group of guys who started showing up to play Starcraft in our club. After a few weeks, we began to notice that whenever this particular group of 4-5 guys showed up, stuff would start to disappear: computer cables, markers for the blackboard, other small stuff that was laying around the lab. It only happened after that group was present, but we weren't sure which of them might be the culprit, so the club leadership decided to remove Starcraft from the computers to get them to leave.

And here I was thinking they stole something of value, like a smartphone or a graphics card. Probably someone with cleptomania.

No, nothing big, but the tech folks who controlled the lab started noticing because it was their stuff. And we didn't want them pissed off at us since they could easily kick us out, so we figured we would just nip it in the bud.

[Erik_Twice]

Foreign people trying to use "slang" is almost as bad as when parents do it.

The term is also used in Spanish.

I just wouldn't use payola (mostly because I had to look the word up to find out what it even meant).

Yeah, this is a pretty big issue with the term. I thought it was more well-known that it actually is

How do you use "payola" in a phrase? Are you ON the payola? Is something LIKE a payola, THE payola or A payola? :/

One participates in payola; something is like payola.

Thanks TSTR

[fastbilly1]

There was a small group of guys who started showing up to play Starcraft in our club. After a few weeks, we began to notice that whenever this particular group of 4-5 guys showed up, stuff would start to disappear: computer cables, markers for the blackboard, other small stuff that was laying around the lab. It only happened after that group was present, but we weren't sure which of them might be the culprit, so the club leadership decided to remove Starcraft from the computers to get them to leave.

And here I was thinking they stole something of value, like a smartphone or a graphics card. Probably someone with cleptomania.

If I remember correctly, this whole event took place in 2001. Long before smartphones were common. Heck it was before cellphones were common. The pcs were owned by the school, so they were all locked up. If someone stole a GPU without someone noticing, it would have been amazing.

[Ziggy]

You know those plastic basement well covers? Explain to me why those are like $20-30 but a 10' length of 1/2" conduit is only $1.46.